BER noise protection programme: Claim assessments sent to residents in the vicinity of the south runway

30.09.2014

Information events launched / Work to be intensified in the remaining claim areas

The airport company has sent out claim assessments for noise protection in the vicinity of BER’s south runway. Property owners can thus contract the necessary building work or receive compensation in the amount of 30 per cent of the fair market value of the noise protection covered. Airport CEO Hartmut Mehdorn: ‘Our BER noise protection programme has gained momentum. Local residents in the vicinity of the south runway have received their claim assessments and can now start installing noise protection measures.’ The airport company has sent out claim assessments for around 3,000 households. A total of over 4,000 applications have been submitted in the daytime protection zone surrounding the south runway, but not all can be processed. For instance, those for which owners have not provided FBB with all the necessary documentation or have failed to honour their obligations to cooperate e.g. by not keeping to appointments with surveyors for determining the fair market value of the noise protection covered or by postponing an appointment until after September 2014. In this respect, FBB emphasises the fact that although owners will not lose any rights to claim, it will be unable to process their application by the end of September. FBB will proceed with processing an application as soon as this is possible and will complete the process as swiftly as possible.

Important foundation for renovating the north runway

The airport company has thus laid an important foundation for the upcoming renovation of the north runway in 2015 and will submit the necessary documentation to the approving authorities. The renovation work and the associated temporary use of BER’s south runway will commence when the summer flight schedule begins at the end of March 2015. On 30 June 2014, the Supervisory Board approved plans to renovate the north runway and provide the necessary funding. The procurement and contracting processes for the construction project as well as the fulfilment of the requirements of the Joint Aviation Authority for Berlin and Brandenburg (LuBB), in particular regarding noise protection, are currently being implemented.

Few claims for compensation

In the case of claim assessments for local residents living in the vicinity of the south runway, compensation for structural noise protection measures could for the most part be approved. Less than a fifth of all local residents in the vicinity of the south runway will receive compensation. This is significantly less than assumed following initial rough estimates. Compensation will be paid whenever the costs calculated for structural noise protection measures are 30 per cent higher than the fair market value of the noise protection measures covered for the property to be protected. The airport company has always stressed that as many property owners as possible will be equipped with structural noise protection measures. Therefore, the airport company is also calling for all property owners who receive compensation to use this money to implement structural noise protection measures. Property owners will be advised in this respect by the airport company.

Information events for local residents

In order to connect with property owners directly, the airport company is holding information events around the south runway. The first such events took place in September for local residents from Berlin-Schmöckwitz and Blankenfelde. Numerous property owners took advantage of the opportunity to speak with engineers, representatives of specialist firms, surveyors and the noise protection team. This enabled local residents to ask and get answers to a number of individual questions. Further events are scheduled, to which several hundred property owners will be invited.

Processing the remaining claim areas

The airport company will now continue processing applications in the remaining daytime protection zone with the aim of completing these in the coming weeks and months. At the same time, applications exclusively in the night-time protection zone are continuously being processed. For this zone, more than 90 per cent of documentation has already been sent to property owners. The processing of asserted claims for payment of compensation for outer residential areas as well as for measures in special facilities is also continuously ongoing.

Contacting the noise protection team

Any local residents who have questions regarding the noise protection programme or the status of their application can contact the noise protection team on the residents hotline and arrange an appointment for a personal meeting. The noise protection team can be reached between 9 a.m and 4 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday on +49 30 6091-73500. Detailed information can also be found in the airport company’s neighbourhood portal: